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Students seeking solutions to global environmental problems have founded a new organization, Society of Environmental Engineers and Scientists (SEES).
“The main goal of the club is to select an existing environmental engineering problem and attempt to find a solution,” says Kristin Tull ’06(Sicklerville, N.J), a double major in A.B. engineering and international affairs.
The group meets regularly on Fridays from 12-1 p.m. in Acopian Engineering Center room 300.
Advised by Art Kney, professor of civil and environmental engineering, SEES was formed to begin obtaining a source of funding for research costs and travel expenses for conferences.
Tull, along with approximately seven other students, participated in research last year on the removal of perchlorate — a widespread inorganic contaminant used in matches, flares, pyrotechnics, and explosives — from drinking water. Steven Presciutti ’05(Wilkes Barre, Pa.), a biochemistry major, presented their findings at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research.
Two years ago, students developed a method of removing arsenic from water and presented their work at a competition sponsored by the Consortium for Environmental Education and Technology Development at the University of New Mexico.
SEES has decided to research arsenic and nitrate removal from groundwater and hopes to present a solution at the competition next semester.
“Not only is there an opportunity for students to learn a great deal about ‘real world’ engineering, paper writing, and research, but they may also have the opportunity to travel,” Tull notes.
In addition to lab work, the group will undertake literature searches, economic analyses, preparation of a scientific paper, and fundraising.
“Although all the team members have already begun working on assigned tasks, there is always much to do for this project in many different areas,” she says.
Since there are many components to the project, including project management, chemical engineering, environmental engineering, environmental science, and economics, SEES is hoping to attract a group of students from various majors.